, image = 30 ОМБр.svg , image_size = 200px , caption = 30th Mechanized Brigade shoulder sleeve insignia , dates = 1 September 1941 – present , country =
(1941 – 6 Dec 1991)

(6 Dec 1991 – present) , allegiance = , branch =

Ground Forces An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, type =

Mechanized Infantry Mechanized infantry are infantry units equipped with armored personnel carriers (APCs) or infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) for transport and combat (see also mechanized force). As defined by the United States Army, mechanized infantry is di ...

, role = , size =

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

, command_structure =

Operational Command North Operational Command North is a command of the Ukrainian Ground Forces in northern Ukraine. It was formed in 2013 from the Western Operational Command and Territorial Directorate North by reforming the 13th Army Corps. The operation command trace ...

, garrison =

Zviahel Zviahel (, ; translit. ''Zvil'') is a city in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. Originally known as ''Zviahel'', the city was renamed to ''Novohrad-Volynskyi'' () in 1795 after annexation of territories of Polish–Lithuanian ...

A0409 , motto = , march = , mascot = , colours = Garrison guidon:
BF 30 MBrigade

, battles =

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

War in Donbass War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular ...

, anniversaries = , patron =

Konstanty Ostrogski Konstanty Iwanowicz Ostrogski (c. 1460 – 10 August 1530; lt, Konstantinas Ostrogiškis; uk, Костянтин Іванович Острозький, translit=Kostiantyn Ivanovych Ostrozkyi; be, Канстантын Іванавіч Ас� ...

, decorations = (removed)
(removed) , battle_honours = Guards (removed)

Novohrad-Volynskyi Zviahel (, ; translit. ''Zvil'') is a city in the Zhytomyr Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. Originally known as ''Zviahel'', the city was renamed to ''Novohrad-Volynskyi'' () in 1795 after annexation of territories of Polish–Lithuanian ...

(removed)

Rivne Rivne (; uk, Рівне ),) also known as Rovno (Russian: Ровно; Polish: Równe; Yiddish: ראָוונע), is a city in western Ukraine. The city is the administrative center of Rivne Oblast (province), as well as the surrounding Rivne Raio ...

(removed) , commander1 =

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Ihor Dovhan , notable_commanders = Pyotr Zubov
Mykhailo Mnyshenko

Petro Lytvyn Petro Mykhailovych Lytvyn (; born 12 June 1967) is a Ukrainian commander and lieutenant general. He served as the commander of the 8th Army Corps from 2012 to 2015. Biography In 1990 Lytvyn graduated the Kiev Armor-Engineer College. He served ...

The 30th Prince Konstanty Ostrogski Mechanized Brigade is a formation of the

Ukrainian Ground Forces The Ukrainian Ground Forces ( uk, Сухопу́тні військá Збрóйних сил Украї́ни), also known as the Ukrainian Army, are the Army, land forces of Ukraine and one of the five Military branch, branches of the Armed For ...

. The full name of the unit is 30th Independent Mechanized Brigade "

". Following the 2014

War in Donbas War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, the unit dropped all its Soviet decorations.

History

World War II

Between September 1 and October 1, 1941, the 83rd Cavalry Division was formed in the city of

Samarkand fa, سمرقند , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = City , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from the top:Registan square, Shah-i-Zinda necropolis, Bibi-Khanym Mosque, view inside Shah-i-Zinda, ...

Uzbekistan Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...

. The division consisted of the following units: * 215th Cavalry Regiment * 226th Cavalry Regiment * 231st Cavalry Regiment * Separate Chemical Squadron From September 5, 1941, the commanding officer of the division was Lieutenant General Selivanov. On November 7, 1941, the division was sent to the

Volga Military District The Volga Military District (PriVO) was a military district of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation that existed from 1918 to 1989 and 1992 to 2001. The district headquarters was located at Kazan, Saratov and Kuibyshev (Samara) at different ...

where it was assigned to the newly forming Cavalry mechanized group of the 61st Army. Until December 28, 1941, the division was fortifying near the station of Lysi Gory

Saratov Oblast Saratov Oblast (russian: Сара́товская о́бласть, ''Saratovskaya oblast'') is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in the Volga Federal District. Its administrative center is the types of ...

. The first battle that the division took part in was near the city of

Ryazhsk Ryazhsk (russian: Ряжск) is town and the administrative center of Ryazhsky District in Ryazan Oblast, Russia, located south of Ryazan, the administrative center of the oblast. Population: 26,000 (1974). History It has been known to exi ...

Ryazan Oblast Ryazan Oblast ( rus, Рязанская область, r=Ryazanskaya oblast, p=rʲɪˈzanskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ) is a federal subjects of Russia, federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative center is the types of inhabited localities ...

as part of the Cavalry mechanized group of the 61st Army as part of the

Bryansk Front The Bryansk Front (russian: Брянский фронт) was a major formation of the Red Army during the Second World War. First Formation (August - November 1941) General Andrei Yeremenko was designated commander of the Front when it first fo ...

and the Soviet winter counter offensive in front of Moscow. In January 1942 the division was assigned to the 7th Cavalry Corps and was assigned to be a Mobile Group in the Moscow Defense Zone for the 61st Army. The division remained with the 7th Cavalry Corps for the rest of 1942 and when the Corps was redesignated as the 6th Guards Cavalry Corps in January 1943 the division became the 13th Guards Cavalry Division on 19 January 1943. The division was under the command of General Major Pyotr Zubov. The 13th Guards Cavalry Division fought at

Dubno Dubno ( uk, Ду́бно) is a city and municipality located on the Ikva River in Rivne Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It serves as the administrative center of Dubno Raion (district). The city is located on intersection of two major Eu ...

in 1944, as well as at the

Battle of Debrecen The Battle of Debrecen, called by the Red Army the ''Debrecen Offensive Operation'', was a battle taking place 6–29 October 1944 on the Eastern Front in Hungary during World War II. The offensive was conducted by the 2nd Ukrainian Front ...

and was with 6th Guards Cavalry Corps of the

2nd Ukrainian Front The 2nd Ukrainian Front (2-й Украинский фронт), was a front of the Red Army during the Second World War. History On October 20, 1943 the Steppe Front was renamed the 2nd Ukrainian Front. During the Second Jassy–Kishinev O ...

in May 1945.

Cold War

Feskov et al. trace the unit's history as follows. At the beginning of June, the division relocated to

. On 1 August 1945, the division was converted into the 11th Guards Mechanized Division. During November and December 1956, the division fought in the crushing of the

Hungarian Revolution of 1956 The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 10 November 1956; hu, 1956-os forradalom), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was a countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the Hunga ...

. 44 soldiers of the division were killed during the campaign in Hungary. The division moved back to Novohrad-Volynskyi in January 1957. On 4 June 1957 it became the 30th Guards Tank Division, part of the 8th Tank Army. In 1960, the division's 58th Separate Tank Training Battalion was disbanded. On 19 February 1962 the 335th Separate Missile Battalion and the 108th Separate Equipment Maintenance and Recovery Battalion were activated. In 1968 the 151st Separate Guards Sapper Battalion became the 151st Separate Guards Engineer-Sapper Battalion. The 1043rd Separate Material Supply Battalion was created from the motor transport battalion in 1980. During the Cold War, the division was maintained at 25% strength. In November 1990, the division was equipped with 224

T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet/Russian main battle tanks that entered production in 1969. The T-72 was a development of the T-64, which was troubled by high costs and its reliance on immature developmental technology. About 25,000 T-72 tanks ha ...

main battle tanks.

1990–present

The 30th Guards Tank Division, along with the rest of the 8th Tank Army and the

Carpathian Military District The Red Banner Carpathian Military District (, ) was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces during the Cold War and subsequently of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the early Post-Soviet period. It was established on 3 May 1946 on the ...

, became part of the

according to the order of Ukraine ''About Armed Forces of Ukraine'' from December 6, 1991. In February 1992, all units of the division pledged their allegiance to Ukraine. It was still designated a tank division as of Decree N 350/93 (August 21, 1993). On October 20, 1999, the division was awarded the

designation. On July 30, 2004, the division was reformed into a brigade. Currently the brigade is the only mechanized brigade that does not have any conscripts. It is also a part of Joint Rapid Reaction Forces. Over a hundred soldiers from the brigade have served in peacekeeping missions in

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

and

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

. A battalion of the brigade was part of POLUKRBAT in the 2006 rotation. As of October 12, 2007, the 2nd Mechanized Battalion of the brigade is deployed in

as part of the POLUKRBAT. The commander of the brigade served as a commander of the 5th Separate Mechanized brigade in Iraq.

War in Ukraine

War in Donbas

In the spring of 2014, after the annexation of Crimea to Russia, the 30th mechanized brigade, one of the five brigades of the armed forces of Ukraine, which was manned at that time by contract soldiers and was sent to the south, including to the Berdiansk region, to protect against a possible invasion from Crimea. Participated in the armed conflict in the east of Ukraine. In the summer of 2014, the brigade took part in the battles for Saur-Mogila. In 2015 the brigade took part in the

Battle of Debaltseve The Battle of Debaltseve was a military confrontation in the city of Debaltseve, Donetsk Oblast, between the pro-Russian separatist forces of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), and the Ukrainian Armed Force ...

during the

.New defensive line outside Artemivsk attacked by militants, deaths reported

Ukraine Today Ukraine Today was a Ukraine-based private English language satellite television channel, then webcasting service. The channel, which was owned by the Ukrainian 1+1 group and headquartered in Kyiv, presented round-the-clock news bulletins aimed a ...

(May. 8, 2015)Traumas of soldiers becoming more visible after Debaltseve

Kyiv Post The ''Kyiv Post'' is the oldest English-language newspaper in Ukraine, founded in October 1995 by Jed Sunden. History American Jed Sunden founded the ''Kyiv Post'' weekly newspaper on Oct. 18, 1995 and later created KP Media for his holdings. ...

(March 6, 2015)Volunteer accuses separatists of killing more Ukrainian prisoners (AUDIO)

(May 1, 201) On 18 November 2015 the Soviet decorations of brigade's full name (30th Separate Guards Mechanized Novohrad-Volynskyi Rivne Orders of the Red Banner and Suvorov Brigade) were removed, leaving the full name of 30th Separate Guards Mechanized Novohrad-Volynskyi Rivne Brigade. On 22 August 2016, its Guards title was also removed. As part of Ukrainian Independence Day celebrations on August 24, 2018, the brigade received the new honorific "

". As of 1 March 2020, the brigade had lost 178 people during the war in Donbas.

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine

In the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, the 30th Mechanized Brigade participated in the

2022 Chornobaivka attacks The 2022 Chornobaivka attacks were a series of Ukrainian attacks against the Russian-held Kherson International Airport at Chornobaivka, which began on 27 February 2022 during the southern Ukraine campaign of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukrai ...

against Russian positions through mortar strikes. From May 5-13th tanks from the 30th Mechanized Brigade repelled a river crossing by the Russian 74th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade near Dronivka. This action was part of the wider

Battle of the Siverskyi Donets The battle of the Siverskyi Donets was a series of military engagements which took place in May 2022, most notably from 5 to 13 May, on the Lyman–Sievierodonetsk front of the battle of Donbas. It was part of the wider eastern Ukraine offen ...

that saw the destruction of 80 pieces of equipment and of the estimated 550 Russian servicemembers conducting the operation, 485 were casualties. The battle is considered one of the "deadliest single engagements" of the war at that point. By October 2022, the brigade was seen participating in operations during the

Battle of Bakhmut The Battle of Bakhmut is an ongoing series of military engagements in and near the city of Bakhmut between Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Russian Armed Forces during the larger battle for Donbas. Shelling of Bakhmut began in May 2022, but the ...

Gallery

USMC-100615-M-4569K-194.jpg, 30th Mechanized Brigade during training Image:30-а танкова дивізія.png, 30th Tank Division Image:30-а танкова бригада.png, 30th Tank Brigade File:30-а механізована бригада.png, 30th Mechanized Brigade

Order of battle

In 1960, the division included the following units. * 276th Tank Regiment * 282nd Guards Tank Regiment * 325th Tank Regiment * 319th Guards Motor Rifle Regiment ( Vysokaya Rech, Zhitomir Oblast) * 855th Guards Artillery Regiment * 937th Guards Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment * 54th Guards Reconnaissance Battalion * 151st Guards Sapper Battalion * 214th Guards Communications Battalion * 197th Chemical Defence Company (Vysokaya Rech, Zhitomir Oblast) * 112th Medical-Sanitary Company * Motor Transport Battalion

Division: 2003

276th Armor Regiment * 325-й танковий полк

325th Armor Regiment * 282nd Guards Armor Regiment * 319th Mechanized Regiment * 855th Guards Artillery Regiment * 937th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment * 214th Guards Signal Battalion * 54th Guards Reconnaissance Battalion * 151st Guards Combat Engineer Battalion * 108th Maintenance Battalion * 1043rd Combat Service Support Battalion * 112th Medical Battalion * 404th Chemical Battalion

Current Structure

As of 2017 the brigade's structure is as follows: * 30th Mechanized Brigade,

** Headquarters & Headquarters Company ** 1st Mechanized Battalion ** 2nd Mechanized Battalion ** 3rd Mechanized Battalion ** Tank Battalion ** Brigade Artillery Group *** Headquarters & Target Acquisition Battery *** Self-propelled Artillery Battalion ( 2S3 Akatsiya) *** Self-propelled Artillery Battalion (

2S1 Gvozdika The 2S1 ''Gvozdika'' (russian: link=no, 2С1 «Гвоздика», "Carnation") is a Soviet self-propelled howitzer based on the MT-LBu multi-purpose chassis, mounting a 122 mm 2A18 howitzer. "2S1" is its GRAU designation. An alternative Rus ...

) *** Rocket Artillery Battalion (

BM-21 Grad The BM-21 "Grad" (russian: БМ-21 "Град", lit= hail) is a self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union. The system and the M-21OF rocket were first developed in the early 1960s, and saw their first comba ...

) *** Anti-tank Artillery Battalion (

MT-12 Rapira 2A19 or T-12 was a revolutionary Soviet 100-mm anti-tank gun. It was the first (anti-) tank gun to adopt a smoothbore barrel, and to introduce modern armor piercing shot, like the APFSDS. It uses long projectiles that are more powerful than it ...

) ** Anti-Aircraft Missile Artillery Battalion ** Engineer Battalion ** Maintenance Battalion ** Logistic Battalion ** Reconnaissance Company ** Sniper Company **

Electronic Warfare Electronic warfare (EW) is any action involving the use of the electromagnetic spectrum (EM spectrum) or directed energy to control the spectrum, attack an enemy, or impede enemy assaults. The purpose of electronic warfare is to deny the opponen ...

Company ** Signal Company ** Radar Company ** CBRN-defense Company ** Medical Company

Awards

The brigade has received 22 orders, and 30 of its soldiers have been decorated with medals. *

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of th ...

- 276th, 325th, 282nd, 855th *

Order of Alexander Nevsky The Order of Alexander Nevsky ( ''orden Alexandra Nevskogo'') is an order of merit of the Russian Federation named in honour of saint Alexander Nevsky (1220–1263) and bestowed to civil servants for twenty years or more of highly meritorious se ...

- 54th * Order of Suvorov - Second Class - 325th, 282nd * Order of Kutuzov - Second Class - 325th, 282nd, 855th * Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky - Second Class - 325th, 282nd * Order of Kutuzov - Third Class - 54th * Order of Bogdan Khmelnitsky - Third Class - 54th * On 7 February 1944, awarded

designation *On October 20, 1999, awarded

designation

Past commanders

Lieutenant General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...

Selivanov September 5, 1941 – *

Major-General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Petr Ivanovich Zubov *

Yuriy Muchailovich Mukolenko 2006–2007 *

Ihor Dovhan 2007–? *Colonel Oleksandr Nesterenko (2011)

References

{{Soviet Union divisions Mechanised infantry brigades of Ukraine Military units and formations established in 2004 Military units and formations awarded the Order of the Red Banner Military units and formations of Ukraine in the war in Donbas